No leak of radioactive material at Halifax port, fire officials say

Halifax Fire is now saying there was no leak of radioactive material at the Fairview Container Terminal in the city's north end when as many as four steel cylinders fell from a container.

The accident occurred as a 20-foot container was being moved from a ship to the dock. The cylinders contained uranium hexafluoride.

But officials said that no one was contaminated or injured because of the incident. No evacuations of the area were expected, officials added, saying the materials on the ship are not expected to spread.

Earlier, fire officials had said there was a radioactive leak. Several emergency crews were on the scene including a Hazmat team.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. Thursday.

The fire department went to test for radioactivity at the Ceres terminal. The first team found nothing, but a second test picked up higher than normal levels of radioactivity.

Members of an emergency response action team from Toronto are expected to do a more detailed assessment of the scene after they arrive Friday afternoon. The team was first expected to arrive Friday morning.

The Atlantic Companion is a Swedish-built ship owned by Atlantic Container Line ACL.